Current:Home > InvestFirst Four launches March Madness 2024. Here's everything to know about women's teams. -FundSphere
First Four launches March Madness 2024. Here's everything to know about women's teams.
View
Date:2025-04-28 05:58:04
For the women, March Madness ramps up one day after the men with their own First Four matchups.
The expanded field is fairly new to the women's game, which started the First Four round in 2022. It was one of a handful of changes that the NCAA began making in the wake of a gender equity report showing vast disparities between the men's and women's basketball tournaments.
Unlike the men, who stage all four games in one place, the women play each game at a different location, picking four sites out of the top 16 national seeds.
Here is what you need to know about the women's teams in this year's First Four.
First Four teams for women's March Madness
- Arizona (17-15): Went into the Pac-12 tournament as the No. 7 seed and was eliminated by top-seeded USC in the conference quarterfinals.
- Auburn (20-11): Finished in a sixth-place tie with Mississippi State in the SEC and was routed by LSU in the conference quarterfinals.
- Columbia (23-6): Finished tied with Princeton for the top seed in the Ivy League before going on to beat the Tigers 75-58 in the conference championship game.
- Holy Cross (20-12): Was the top seed in the Patriot League and went on to win the conference championship against Boston University 61-55.
- Presbyterian (20-14): Finished in a tie for fourth place in the Big South, but went on to beat Radford in the conference title game.
- Sacred Heart (24-9): Only lost one game in the NEC and ran away with the conference championship. The Pioneers have won 15 consecutive games.
- UT Martin (16-16): Was one of three teams to finish in second place in the OVC and made it to the conference championship game before losing to top-seeded Southern Indiana.
- Vanderbilt (22-9): Finished the regular season as the No. 6 seed in the SEC tournament, where they were ousted by Florida in the first round.
IT'S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY's NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.
When is First Four for women?
The women's First Four will take place with two games on Wednesday, March 20 and two games on Thursday, March 21.
First Four games for women
Wednesday, March 20
- Sacred Heart (24-9) vs. Presbyterian (20-14), 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The winner will be the No. 16 seed in Albany Regional 1 and face No. 1 South Carolina.
- Vanderbilt (22-9) vs. Columbia (23-6), 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The winner will be the No. 12 seed in Portland Regional 3 and face No. 5 Baylor.
Thursday, March 21
- Auburn (20-11) vs. Arizona (17-15), 7 p.m. on ESPN2. The winner will be the No. 11 seed in Portland Regional 3 and face No. 6 Syracuse.
- Holy Cross (20-12) vs. UT Martin (16-16), 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The winner will be the No. 16 seed in Albany Regional 2 and face No. 1 Iowa.
Where is First Four for women?
The sites of the women's First Four games will be: Blacksburg, Virginia; Columbia, South Carolina; Storrs, Connecticut; and Peoria, Illinois.
How to watch women's First Four
The women's First Four games will be broadcast on ESPNU and ESPN2.
Have any First Four teams won the women's national championship?
No, in fact Mississippi State is the only team to ever win a first-round game after advancing out of the First Four. Last season the Bulldogs beat Creighton in the Round of 64 before losing to Notre Dame 53-48 in the second round.
USA TODAY Sports' Steve Gardner contributed to this report.
veryGood! (848)
prev:Travis Hunter, the 2
next:Sam Taylor
Related
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- GOP legislatures in some states seek ways to undermine voters’ ability to determine abortion rights
- Israeli Holocaust survivor says the Oct. 7 Hamas attack revived childhood trauma
- New Jersey firefighter dies, at least 3 others injured in a house fire in Plainfield
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Remembering the horrors of Auschwitz, German chancellor warns of antisemitism, threats to democracy
- An ancient Egyptian temple in New York inspires a Lebanese American musician
- Donald Trump is on the hook for $88.3 million in defamation damages. What happens next?
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Native tribes don't want statue of William Penn removed. They want their story told.
Ranking
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- NFL championship game picks: Who among Chiefs, Ravens, 49ers and Lions reaches Super Bowl 58?
- Iowa vs. Nebraska highlights: Caitlin Clark drops 38 in Hawkeyes women's basketball win
- China orders a Japanese fishing boat to leave waters near Japan-held islands claimed by Beijing
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Texas attorney general refuses to grant federal agents full access to border park: Your request is hereby denied
- NFL championship game picks: Who among Chiefs, Ravens, 49ers and Lions reaches Super Bowl 58?
- Lionel Messi and the World Cup have left Qatar with a richer sports legacy
Recommendation
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
Walmart's TV Deals Up To 47% Off Are Worth Shopping On The Big Screen
Iowa vs. Nebraska highlights: Caitlin Clark drops 38 in Hawkeyes women's basketball win
Hollywood has been giving out climate change-focused awards for 33 years. Who knew?
Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
As a boy he survived the Holocaust — then fell in love with the daughter of a Nazi soldier. They've been married 69 years.
Trump praises Texas governor as border state clashes with Biden administration over immigration
China orders a Japanese fishing boat to leave waters near Japan-held islands claimed by Beijing